302 EVANS. 



show female branches in abundance, some of them with young 

 calyptras. Massalongo's description, moreover, in spite of its brev- 

 ity, brings out some of the most distinctive characters of the 

 species. In the second place Naumann's " Gazelle" Expedition speci- 

 men of M. decipiens is equally well developed and also shows character- 

 istic female branches. It even illustrates the variability of the species 

 to a certain extent, some of the thalli being almost destitute of hairs. 

 These two specimens, which the writer has carefully examined, agree 

 in all essential respects and certainly form an adequate basis for the 

 proposal of a new species. 



Under the original description of M. glaberrima, which is here 

 included among the synonyms of M. decipiens, Stephani cited speci- 

 mens from the Straits of Magellan, "Chile," New Zealand and 

 Australia. Apparently he afterwards changed his mind regarding 

 the New Zealand and Australian material, for, in 1911, he restricted 

 the range of the species to southern Chile, Tierra del Fuego, Falkland 

 and Antipodes Islands (24, p. 10). The natural inference from this 

 would be that M. glaberrima as originally defined was an aggregate. 

 If this should be established the "type-specimen" should presumably 

 be one of those from the Straits of Magellan, since these are mentioned 

 first. As collectors of the Magellan specimens Stephani named Speg- 

 azzini, Dusen and the "Exped. Gazelle." The actual specimens of 

 Spegazzini and Naumann cited have not been seen by the writer. 

 Dusen's Port Gallant specimen, however, agrees fully with Spegaz- 

 zini's specimen of M. furcata var. decipiens and Naumann's specimen 

 of M. decipiens; and, since it agrees with none of the other specimens 

 of Metzgeria collected by Spegazzini and Naumann, it would almost 

 seem as if Stephani had based his M. glaberrima, at least in part, 

 upon the very specimens utilized by Schiffner in his description of M. 

 decipiens. In any case Dusen's Port Gallant specimen is referable to 

 M. decipiens, and the same thing is true of at least two other specimens 

 collected by Dusen and definitely listed by Stephani under the name 

 M. glaberrima. It therefore seems justifiable to consider the latter 

 a synonym of M . decipiens, even if the original M . glaberrima included 

 other distinct forms. The writer regrets that the New Zealand and 

 Australian specimens cited by Stephani have not been available for 

 study. 



The type specimen of M. nuda, likewise included as a synonym, is 

 sterile and far more poorly developed than the original material of 

 M. decipiens. The thalli are not invariably naked, as the description 

 states, although the hairs even when present are scantily developed. 

 They occur on the margin and also ventrally on the costa. The alar 



